The present invention relates to fishing rod holders and more particularly to an improved holder adapted for use with a downrigger which is used to maintain the depth of a lure or bait attached to a fishing line.
Various systems have heretofore been proposed for ocean or lake trolling to maintain the lure or bait attached to a fishing line at a predetermined depth. Such systems include so-called downriggers. The downrigger includes a reel, a boom and a downrigger line. Secured to the end of the downrigger line is a weight. Also supported by the line is a fishing line release. The line from a fishing rod is secured to the release. The downrigger line and weight maintain the fishing line at a predetermined depth selected by the user. When the bait is struck by a fish, the line releases from the downrigger line. The fisherman must retrieve the pole and then reel in the fish. Examples of such downrigger systems and components therefor may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,118, entitled Fishing Rod Holder With Downrigger Attachments and issued on Aug. 31, 1976 to Seymour; U.S. Pat. No. 2,786,296, entitled Trolling Tackle and issued on Mar. 26, 1975 to Loebensteen; and commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,091, entitled Downrigger Line Release and issued on Nov. 6, 1979 to Emory.
In using a downrigger device, the fishing rod may be supported on a suitable holder secured to the downrigger structure or it may be mounted to the gunwale or transom of the boat. The rod extends outwardly away from the boat. With such mounting methods, problems are experienced with retrieving the rod after a fish strikes the bait. Since the rod extends away from the fisherman, he has to lean outwardly over the gunwale or transom to remove the rod from the fishing rod holder. Also, in deep lake or ocean trolling, typically a plurality of rods are used at the same time. It is difficult for a fisherman to know precisely which rod has received the strike. Further, when line release occurs, there is slack in the fishing line which can result in fish loss.
Various forms of fishing rod holders have heretofore been proposed to reduce the fish loss and/or provide an indication of when the bait has been taken. These devices are typically fairly complicated and include some form of latch or detent mechanism which holds the fishing rod holder in a "set" position against the bias of a spring. Upon receiving a strike, the detent is released and the rod holder pivots to indicate a strike. These systems are not readily adapted or designed for use when trolling but are typically employed in stationary fishing situations. Examples of such spring-loaded holders may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,943, entitled Fish Snagging Fish Holder and issued on Nov. 15, 1966 to Wedel and U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,269, entitled Automatic Fishing Device and issued on May 6, 1975 to Timmons.